Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Jews and ninjas

The Israeli affinity for ninjas makes sense when you consider that ninjas are basically supercool Jews. Both practice esoteric traditions that must be kept pure or they'll lose their power, both wear black outfits, and both can destroy much larger and more numerous opponents. The main difference is that while observant Jews spend a lot of time praying, observant ninjas spend a lot of time hiding and killing people.--Grady Hendrix, Slate, on the Jewish contribution to ninjas in American pop culture